WORLD CLASS ROAD TRIP

The world’s best cyclocross racers are coming to North America, and cyclists from Chattanooga are not going to miss out on a chance to see — and even compete — with the world’s best.

The UCI Cyclocross World Championships are being held Feb. 2-3 in Louisville, Kentucky for the first-ever cyclocross world championship outside of Europe. With Louisville a relatively short six-hour drive from Chattanooga, local cyclists and cycling fans have been planning for the event for months.

“I bought tickets at 6 in the morning the day they were released,” says Ben Sedgewick, a local cyclocross racer with Hub Endurance Racing. “I got tickets and my hotel room on the same day.”

A Facebook event page was set up last fall to help Chattanoogan's plan for the trip, and at least 25 have committed to go.

Peter Woodrow

However, not everyone is going to be a spectator. Local racer Peter Woodrow will be competing in Louisville as well, racing for a Masters championship on a course adjacent to the one that will be used by the world’s elite riders.

“I’m not as ready as I’d like to be,” Woodrow says. “I’ve had two bouts of illness and a crash that dinged me up. But I’m doing the best I can.”

With the cyclocross worlds in February, and the US Pro Cycling Championships coming to Chattanooga this May, 2013 is shaping up to be a big year for cycling in the Southeast, bringing the world’s best to our backyard.

“It’s a big deal,” says Woodrow. “It is very exciting. To have these guys we have to watch via the Internet come over here to race on our turf so we can see them in person is a cool deal. And for me, this is probably the only chance I’ll ever be able to participate in a world championship.”